Squad 7
by noblejohnnyboy
Summary: Johnny, Alice and Ellie are Spartans in training. Follow them on their last assignment, as they struggle with difficult decisions and realize what it truly is to be a Spartan.


**Halo**

**Squad 7**

From behind him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged.

"Hey, Alice." He said.

The girl sitting opposite him just grinned, watching her friends.

"How are my two favourite people today?" the girl hugging asked.

The boy looked straight up, and the girl looked straight down until they looked directly at one another.

"You know, you say 'hi' like this every time we see each other. Why can't you do this surprise hug thing to Ellie more often?" The boy shrugged.

Alice removed her arms from around the boy and hugged Ellie instead.

"Bet you're pretty jealous now, Johnny. Bet you miss my hugs now, Johnny! Ellie is my new permanent hug-buddy. You have officially been replaced." Alice hugged around the other girl's neck and mouth.

"As long as it's not fuck-buddy, last thing I want is to be the third wheel." He laughed.

Ellie raised her hand as though she were asking permission to do something.

"Yes, Ellie?" Alice asked, removing her arms from over Ellie's mouth.

The 14 year old shook her head cutely.

"I don't know if I'm ready for that kind of commitment, Alice. I mean, I care about you, but..." Ellie put her hand on Alice's.

"You deserve better." She continued.

Alice dramatically put her face in her hands and turned away from Ellie and Johnny.

"I understand. I just..." she grabbed a chair from underneath the table and stood on it.

"I just wish I could hold you one more time, Ellie!" she yelled.

The entire cafeteria looked at their table. All of 100 people stared confusedly at Alice atop the chair. Ellie's face went pure red.

"Guess I said that a little loud, huh?" Alice laughed, hopping off the chair.

Ellie buried her head in her arms on the table.

"Every time!" Ellie yelled, muffled.

Alice sat down and put her hand on Ellie's shoulder.

"We've been friends for 10 years, Ellie. You think you'd be used to embarrassment at this stage." Alice said sarcastically.

Ellie raised her head just enough for her green eyes to be seen.

"Someday, I promise." Her eyes crinkled, suggesting a smile.

The cafeteria's spectators resumed eating shortly after Ellie said this.

"Remind me again why I'm friends with you two?" Johnny said, raising his eyebrows.

Alice perked up at this question.

"We're the only ones who can handle you being the best in this programme. Plus I'm the best hugger in this dump and little Ellie is adorable!" she grinned.

Ellie laughed quietly to herself and shook her head.

"I'm willing to stipulate to those last things, but I am hardly the best in the programme. I mean, Tyler's good too." Johnny added.

Alice scoffed while Ellie looked at her.

"Tyler's a dick! And his buddies Ian and Zach suck! They literally suck dick!" she exclaimed.

"They get the job done." Johnny replied.

Alice rested her elbows on the table and leaned in closer.

"No, they cheat and they sabotage and they bully their way through this programme. Almost like it's just some game to them." she added, the distain clear in her voice.

All three stared down and remembered why they were here.

_Alice:_

When Alice was 6 years old, her home on planet Biko was destroyed when the Covenant attacked. She was at the park with her parents when they hit. Without warning the city was glassed from orbit. A car explosion killed her parents, Alice was lucky to survive. Amidst the attack, she was found crying over their bodies by a police officer who was trying to evacuate the city. She managed to take a pelican off the planet before its inevitable destruction. Months later, she was plucked out of an orphanage on Earth by a woman. She was promised a chance at revenge.

_Ellie: _

Ellie was born on planet Harvest. This glassing of Harvest took over a year. She was 2 years old when it began and 4 years old when it ended. Her family moved from refugee camp to refugee camp, hoping their military would be able to suppress the attack. It couldn't. Her family was safe in a bunker, but the thorough Covenant onslaught sent teams of elites in to ensure there were no survivors. Ellie's parents hid her in a locker. They died trying to protect her. After the Covenant left the area, military salvage teams found Ellie. When she was brought aboard their ship, a woman from the navy offered her a better life. She accepted.

_Johnny: _

Johnny was on Reach when it fell. The entire attack was quick. Covenant cruisers blasted the planet from orbit while ground teams fully disabled their ability to defend themselves. Reach was the last defence the UNSC had before Earth. Johnny was already an orphan on Reach when it was attacked. He had no knowledge of his family at all. When chaos broke out, the orphanage was abandoned with him in it. He tried to find his own way to safety during the attack on the city. Johnny watched helplessly as innocent people fell victim to the massacre committed by the Covenant's ground forces. He too was almost killed by an Elite. It held him up by his throat but before the Elite could use its sword on Johnny, it was killed by a SPARTAN. Johnny never found out who he was, but never forgot his shining green armour. Johnny thought he was a knight. After this, a group of marines found him and evacuated him aboard a frigate. When on this frigate, Johnny was offered the opportunity by a woman named Catherine to be strong. Johnny remembered the SPARTAN who saved his life and accepted her offer. He was 7 years old.

Johnny shook his head to get back to reality.

"So, when's the next combat training session?" he asked.

Both the girls looked up at Johnny.

"Tomorrow morning, 0600 hours. Think we'll beat Tyler's team this time?" Replied Alice.

"Not unless I get some rest soon." He smirked.

Johnny stood and walked toward the exit.

"Goodnight, Johnny!" Ellie yelled.

Johnny waved his hand back and left the room.

"Why don't you just tell him?" Alice said, nudging her friend.

Ellie blushed and turned away from her.

"What are you talking about, Alice?" she replied.

"Oh, come on, Ellie! You've been in love with him since you were 4 years old. It's about time you told him how you feel." Alice continued.

Ellie stood up.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She said, walking toward the exit of the cafeteria.

Alice stood up and walked with her.

"It's completely obvious, girl. You've got it bad. It's amazing Johnny doesn't see it, but then for a smart guy, he is a complete dumbass." She added.

Ellie stopped.

"He's not a dumbass." She whispered.

Alice put her hand on Ellie's arm.

"Just tell him! Maybe he feels the same way, you'll never know for sure until you actually do something!" she yelled.

Ellie continued walking back to her room and Alice followed her. They reached their room after about 30 minutes of walking. They've shared a room since arriving at the training camp.

"So? Are you gonna?" Alice asked, sitting down on Ellie's bed.

Ellie took a seat next to Alice.

"What if he doesn't like me back? I mean, I'm 14 and you're both 17. He might see me differently than I see him." She said.

Alice scooted over closer to Ellie.

"And how, exactly, do you see him?" she asked.

Ellie faded away into her own little world. She remembered when she met Johnny. She encountered him on the first day of the programme, when he was 7 and she was 4. The instructors wanted to reduce the amount of applicants, so they devised a very simple test to cut them down from 500 to fewer than 300. The test involved putting the children on a pelican and seeing if they were willing to parachute out of the cargo hold. Many refused to jump and failed. Ellie, Johnny and Alice were on the same pelican. When it was almost Ellie's turn to jump, fear almost prevented her from doing so, but it was support from Johnny that helped her overcome that fear. He told her to be brave, that everything would be okay and this was just a little step that she needed to take. When Johnny jumped, he showed her how to be brave and she matched it. From that moment on she's always seen Johnny as her hero, as someone who will always be there for her.

Ellie smiled to herself.

"You're thinking of him right now, aren't you?!" Alice yelled.

Ellie looked over at Alice.

"Maybe." She continued smiling.

They heard a voice over the speakers.

_"Attention. Lights out in 15 minutes."_

Alice and Ellie removed their gear and changed into their pyjamas. Alice climbed to the top bunk while Ellie lied down in the bottom bunk. Alice peered down at Ellie, her long, dark hair flowing toward the ground.

"Want me to tell him for you?" she asked, smiling.

Ellie pulled the blanket up over her head.

"Please, don't." she muffled.

Alice's pretty smile turned to sterner face of annoyance.

"Fine, fine! But you should!" she said, pulling herself up and under the covers.

Ellie removed her head from under the blanket and placed it down on the pillow. Because of Alice, the thought of telling her love interest how she feels wouldn't stop playing on her mind. She wanted to be his. She wanted him to hold her, to be with her all the time. But he wasn't, and he never would be, unless she told him and he felt the same way, but chances of this were minute in her mind. Ellie didn't sleep much that night.

**Training Day**

The entire training camp was awakened at the same time by the speaker's announcement.

_"Attention. Breakfast begins in 15 minutes."_

Johnny woke up an hour early, like he did every morning. He went for a run, did some weight training and worked the bag until everyone else was up. He then ate breakfast with Alice and Ellie. Friends for over 10 years but they never knew he did this.

Johnny met up with his squad mates and friends at their assigned table. Ellie was eating a fruit platter with a glass of orange juice. Alice had cereals with dried toast and mixed nuts. Johnny had what he had every morning.

"How can you stand that nutrient crap they give us?" Alice asked, before taking a mouthful of cereal.

"It's a HBV protein paste, reinforced with vitamins and nutrients for muscle and bone development… not crap. And it's healthy." He replied.

The split second silence was broken by Ellie crunching into an apple.

"I would argue that an apple is just as healthy. Why not have one of those instead?" Alice gestured at Ellie, who looked wide eyed at the statement.

Johnny reached over the table and took one of Ellie's apples. He took a bite out of it and continued eating his protein solution simultaneously.

"You win this round." Alice said, sprinkling more nuts onto her cereals.

Johnny smiled over at Ellie and winked. Ellie returned this with a smile of her own, and a small blush.

Johnny finished off the rest of his breakfast and stood up.

"I'm just gonna go get you a new apple, Ellie. Be back in a sec." he said.

"It's okay, you don't have to." She replied.

Johnny walked over and put his hand on her head, roughing up her short, light brown-blonde hair.

"What? And let the best sniper in the camp go hungry? I don't think so." He smiled at her again and walked over to wait in line.

Ellie blushed generously and couldn't stop herself from smiling as she ate a grape by tossing it up into the air and catching it in her mouth.

"Nyaaww!" is the sound Alice made after Johnny left.

When it was Johnny's turn at the front of the line, someone cut in front of him, then another, then another. From being first, three people were now in front of Johnny. They were Squad 19, Tyler's squad.

"You don't mind us going first, do you, Johnny?" smirked Tyler.

"Yeah, do you, Johnny?" added Ian.

Johnny clenched his fist tightly. But then remembered why he was here. He counted to 5 in his head and unclenched his fist.

"Course not. Go ahead." He replied.

Tyler took a step closer to Johnny, nose to nose with him.

"I thought as much. How can you expect to kill Covies when you can't even stand up for yourself…" he turned away from Johnny. "Coward."

Johnny felt white hot rage wash over his body. He wanted to pull Tyler over and punch him in the face, but didn't. He never did, and he never would. Johnny knew Tyler was his competition. Tyler was just as fast, just as strong, just as brave as Johnny, but Tyler was willing to do the dirty work that Johnny wouldn't. Johnny remembered one team-building exercise where the winning squad received the next day off. The entire objective of the exercise was to defend your squad, and other squads who were a part of your team. As leader of his team, Johnny understood this, but Tyler, as the other leader, did neither of these things. He ordered his team to charge forward to assault the other. Johnny set up his perimeter correctly and mowed down Tyler's team with anaesthetic rounds designed for training. Tyler used the loss of his teammates as a distraction and flanked Johnny's, taking them down. When it was just Johnny, Tyler and Ellie remaining, Tyler used Ellie as a hostage to ensure Johnny's surrender. Even though he had already won the exercise, he shot Ellie anyway, rendering her immobilised, as was the effect of the anaesthetic rounds. This infuriated Johnny, who tried to attack Tyler, but the staff sergeant and captain held him back. From that day on he hated Tyler. That was 3 years ago.

When it came to his turn, Johnny took an apple and watched Tyler walk away, smirking.

"Here you go, Ellie." Johnny said, placing the apple on her tray.

Alice leaned in on her chair.

"What was that about with Tyler?" she asked, curiously.

"Nothing." He replied. "If you guys are ready, how about we go find out about the training exercise?" he added.

Alice and Ellie picked up their trays and disposed of the remains.

"Alright, let's go!" exclaimed Alice.

They walked over to the training grounds, some other squads were already there. They put on their combat gear and picked out their weapons as they waited for the rest to arrive. When everyone had arrived, they all lined up in 10, 10 person lines, and awaited instruction.

"I was informed recently that we are in your 10th year of training and augmentation. This means that the first of you, deemed ready, may receive your final augmentation, and the MJOLNIR MARK VI armour you want so badly. It's this armour that truly defines you as a SPARTAN. Like me." said the staff sergeant. He was a giant of a man who stood 7 feet tall, he donned gleaming, green MARK V power armour.

Everyone gasped and awed at what the staff sergeant said. The excitement of finally being able to call yourself a SPARTAN, after 10 years of training, made them all even more determined.

"But there is one catch…" he added.

All the would-be SPARTANS started, and focused all their attention once again on the giant.

"Only one squad may get this opportunity. The rest of you will have to wait another year." He continued. "As things stand, Squad 19 and Squad 7 are the best in the camp. Step forward."

Johnny and his squad took a step out of line, toward the staff sergeant. As did Tyler's squad. Johnny and Tyler glanced at one another before focusing on the sergeant.

"These two squads will be the ones to battle it out for a chance to become true SPARTANS!" the sergeant cried.

Not one of the other squads disagreed with this. They all knew squads 7 and 19 were the best.

"30 clicks from here, there's a mountain range. It contains a forest with an abandoned lumber yard. Here, under our supervision, you will battle. The objective is to pacify the opposing squad by any means necessary. The first squad to wipe out all remaining members of the other will win." He smirked.

Johnny looked at Ellie and at Alice. They knew what this meant. This was their chance. And they knew it wasn't going to be easy. But they smiled anyway.

**Showdown**

Squad 7 was on a separate pelican to Squad 19. They were to be dropped in two different areas. They did a final check on their weapons and ammunition before the drop.

Ellie held her sniper rifle up and carefully inserted the anaesthetic-percussive rounds. They were designed to hit harder than regular anaesthetic rounds. With this done, she adjusted her scope slowly, ensuring it was aligned flawlessly. It was this attention to detail that made Ellie the best sniper of the programme.

Alice loaded her shotgun with a much more casual approach than Ellie. The only things Alice took a precise hand to were her explosives. She was the squad's demolition and explosive expert. She attached her anaesthetic grenades and flash bangs to her belt. She was ready.

Johnny had already loaded his assault rifle by the time he boarded the pelican. His journey was spent concentrating. He didn't believe in planning before putting your boots on the ground, but today was different.

The only sound they could hear from inside the cargo-hold was the engines' roaring.

"We got this. We just gotta do what we been doing for our whole lives and we'll win…" Johnny stated.

"Alice, you just go out there and kick some ass. You're the toughest person I've ever met and one of the scariest. Now you're gonna give these assholes a reason to piss themselves." He added.

Alice clenched her teeth and gave a toothy grin to Johnny.

"Ellie, you haven't missed a shot since you were 8 years old. You're my guardian angel out there, I trust you with mine and Alice's lives. I know we can count on you." he continued.

For a brief moment, Ellie lit up, but the magnitude of the situation quickly settled her again. She nodded at him.

"Even if we don't win, I just want you guys to know that I couldn't have asked for a better team, or better friends." he finished.

Alice walked over and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Johnny…" she said, just louder than a whisper.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Don't be sucha pussy! We're gonna go down there and wipe the floor with their bitch-asses! Oorah!" she yelled.

Johnny smirked at this.

"Oorah."

The cargo door opened and the pilot made an announcement.

_"30 second window now open! Go!"_

Johnny ran and jumped out of the pelican. He was closely followed by Alice and Ellie who jumped seconds after. It was approaching 08.00am and the sun was rising in the sky. It had rained heavily that night so the air was cold and moist. They didn't mind though, the adrenaline kept them warm.

Johnny hit the ground first, in a small opening in the forest. His immediate worry was getting his squad together. He unstrapped his assault rifle and watched as Alice landed about 20 metres away. He sprinted toward her, dodging broken and collapsed trees. This is yet more impressive considering how wet and slippery every surface was, but he dare not slow down. Squad 19 could be anywhere.

Johnny arrived just as Alice did. He pulled off her chute and hid it underneath some foliage, as he did with his own.

"Ellie?" Johnny asked.

Alice unstrapped her shotgun and pointed its barrel west.

"I saw her land over there, just before I did." She replied.

Johnny nodded and they both ran toward Ellie's drop-zone. Small droplets of rain began to fall from the sky, but their heads were covered by helmets, their eyes by visors. They didn't care. They only cared about getting to Ellie.

When they found her, she was knelt down, looking down her scope at them sprinting toward her.

"Nice of you to drop in." she smiled, getting to her feet.

"What's the plan?" asked Alice.

Johnny took a long, deep breath.

"There's an old lumber yard about 3 clicks south of here. That's the only structure in the immediate area. If we get there first we set up an ambush, if they get there first, we take it from them. Copacetic?" he instructed.

Both girls nodded at him and replied.

"Copacetic."

They sprinted south as fast as they could. They knew gaining control of the lumber yard would be a huge tactical advantage for whoever had it. Johnny knew that a head-on conflict would not favour his squad. Tyler's being renowned at camp for its over-physicality. That comes as no surprise considering all three members were 6ft plus compared to Johnny who is 6ft 1, Alice who is 5ft 10 and Ellie who is 5ft 6, the smallest person at the camp. Even after all the muscle augmentations, and bone density augmentations, which killed or crippled most of the applicants, her height hadn't improved at all, though her physical strength has increased 50 fold. She carried and sprinted with her 20 kilo sniper rifle easily. But it is because of Ellie's inferior physical presence, that she was placed on a squad with Johnny to compensate, with him being arguable the most physically adept soldier at the camp.

After about an hour of running, they finally saw the lumber yard in the distance. Ellie raised her rifle up and looked through her scope.

"What do you see, Ellie?" asked Alice.

Ellie took a second to answer, making sure her search was thorough.

"Looks clear to me." she replied, lowering her rifle.

They were about 200 metre away. This was the ideal distance for Ellie, not too close, not too far.

"Okay. Ellie, you can set up over-watch here. Alice and I will go in. When we get there, Alice, you can go in through the rear, I'll take the front." Johnny stated.

His squad mates nodded.

"And if squad 19 is down there, don't hesitate. We're all watching each other's backs. Even yours, Ellie, all the way up here. If anything happens, I'll be up here like lightning." Johnny smiled.

Being atop this ridge gave Ellie a huge advantage. She was able to see the entire lumber yard from this position. She was also able catch glimpses of Johnny and Alice through the canopy below. This made her feel safer.

After a few minutes, she saw Alice break away from Johnny and head toward the back of the structure. There was some old machinery, a rusted dump truck and a wood chipper, plus the lumber, stacked in 6 piles. This would make good cover.

Alice took cover behind one of the stacks. She peered around the corner and saw no one. This was a good spot for her to cover. Johnny hid behind one of the trees in front of the yard. He took the safety off his rifle and sprinted in behind the truck. He contacted his squad on his head set.

"Got anything, Alice?" he asked in a whisper.

"Nothing." She replied.

"How about you, Ellie?" he whispered again.

Ellie peered keenly through her scope but she didn't see anything.

"Not a soul." She said.

"That's what worries me." Johnny continued.

He took a breath and charged around the corner over to the small building. He took cover next to the door. From here, he could see Alice looking at him. They nodded at one another. Johnny carefully creaked open the door. In the small gap he opened, he could see a wire.

"Shit!" he yelled and ran toward Alice.

With a loud crack, the door burst off its hinges and Squad 19's Ian and Zach charged through, guns blazing. Johnny managed to take cover just before being hit. From the ridge, Ellie lined up a shot, aiming directly at Zach's chest.

"Gotcha" she said, squeezing the trigger.

From behind cover, Johnny and Alice could hear the loud clap of Ellie's sniper rifle. A sound usually met by one of the opposition falling to the ground. And this time was no exception. Zach clutched his chest and fell to the ground.

Ellie discarded the used cartridge and lined up another shot, but Ian had taken cover behind one of the stacks opposite Johnny and Alice.

"One down, two to go!" Alice yelled. "Nice shot, Ellie!"

Johnny veered around the corner, hoping to catch a glimpse of his opposition. He saw Ian out of the corner of his eye. Ian in turn shot at Johnny, causing him to revert back to cover.

"Can you see Tyler, Ellie?!" he yelled into his headset.

"Nowhere." She replied instantly.

"Shit!" he said, worried. "Okay! Alice, flank left. I'll draw his fire. I'm counting on you to take him out before he gets me!"

Alice nodded at him. Johnny sprinted around the corner, firing his rifle in the process to draw attention away from Alice, who raced around the other side.

Johnny took cover behind another stack before Ian could get a shot away. Realising Johnny was trying to flank him, he ran the other side, but that was straight into Alice.

Alice jabbed him in the throat with the butt of her shotgun. When this forced Ian back, she shot him in the chest. The force of the blast knocked him off his feet and pacified him.

"Two down!" yelled Alice.

Johnny turned in Ellie's direction.

"Any word on Tyler, Ellie?" he asked.

There was no reply.

"Ellie? Ellie, come in!" he continued.

Alice rushed over beside him.

"What's going on?" she asked.

Johnny turned anxiously toward her.

"I don't kn…"

Before Johnny could finish his sentence, a thundering, sniper rifle round could be heard from Ellie's location. Alice clutched tightly at her chest, and fell to the floor. Seeing this, Johnny grabbed her arm and pulled her behind cover. He checked to see if she was still conscious, but she wasn't. The anaesthetic had already kicked.

_"I know you can hear me, Johnny."_

Johnny froze up. This was a secure line. Only he, Alice and Ellie used it.

"I hear you, Tyler. What have done with Ellie?" he asked calmly.

Johnny peered around the corner. An action met with another round fired from Ellie's rifle.

_"Ah-ah-ah! We do this my way. Or I make things uncomfortable for little Ellie here. And I don't think you want that, do you, Johnny? I mean, you are supposed to be her hero and all."_

Johnny's entire body tensed up. This time, Tyler had gone too far.

_"That's what I thought. Now. All I want you to do is this: Come up here. I'll give you 30 seconds. Go."_

Johnny didn't wait around. Like a wild fire, he blazed a path through the forest as fast as he could. He knew it was a trap, but even still, he gave his word to Ellie. And he wasn't about to break it for anything.

_"10 seconds. Better hurry."_

Johnny knew was close. But 10 seconds wasn't enough time, unless he purged some of his equipment. He threw his rifle and helmet to the ground and pushed himself harder than ever before. He felt the veins in his forehead throbbing with each stride. He felt the wet mud seep through his boots as he pressed hard against the moist earth to give himself the best possible spring. Finally, Johnny felt relief when he saw Ellie, with her hands up, standing over the ridge. She wasn't wearing her helmet.

"Johnny!" she called when she saw him.

Johnny continued running toward her.

_"Time's up. So close."_

The force of the shot fired, hit Ellie's light frame like a speeding truck, and knocked her over the edge.

"NOO!" Johnny screamed, lunging forward to try and catch her.

He caught Ellie's sleeve with the tips of his fingers. He wrapped his other hand around her wrist and pulled her up. He placed her down gently just inside the edge.

"So, you managed to save her. Oh well." Tyler sighed.

Johnny stood up and turned to face his nemesis.

"She could've died!" Johnny yelled.

Tyler smirked.

"I know."

Johnny suddenly heard the throbbing of his own heartbeat, rage engulfed him. This time, he wouldn't fight it. This time, he would finally get revenge.

Johnny charged forward at Tyler. Both were unarmed.

"That's right, Johnny. Come on. Come on!"

Johnny swung his fist at Tyler, who narrowly avoided the strike to his face. Tyler countered by kneeing at Johnny's abdomen. Johnny caught his knee and elbowed Tyler in the nose. Tyler then kicked across Johnny's kneecap, making him fall to one knee. Tyler tried to kick Johnny in the face. He dodged this attack and tripped him with his own kick. This knocked Tyler onto his back. Johnny stood up slowly and limped toward Ellie.

Tyler stood up and wiped the droplets of blood from his broken nose.

"You never did have the stones to finish a job!" he said, pulling out combat blade from his lower back.

Out of the corner of his eye, Johnny saw Tyler lunge at him with the knife. In a heartbeat, he spun around and deflected the attack. He used his superior strength to manoeuvre the blade to Tyler's throat. Both struggled for control of the weapon.

"Do it." Tyler said, looking directly into Johnny's eyes.

Johnny held the blade in place for a few seconds longer.

"What are you waiting for? Do it!" he screamed again.

Johnny kneed him in the stomach. He then extended Tyler's arm fully and dropped his elbow down on it furiously, breaking it. Tyler screeched in pain. Johnny threw the blade on the ground and walked over to Ellie's unconscious body.

"3 down." He said, limping over.

Before he reached her, he saw the staff sergeant and 2 other SPARTANS emerge from the treeline.

"This exercise is over. Squad 7 are victorious!" the sergeant announced.

Tyler continued rolling on the ground in agony. Johnny picked up Ellie and carried her over to the SPARTANS.

"We're about ready to leave, sir." He said.

**343**

Upon arriving back at the camp, Squad 7 was moved to the medical facilities to recover from their injuries. While the other two slept away the anaesthetic, Johnny was curious about what happened next. He scoured the complex to find the staff sergeant. After nearly an hour of searching, he gave up and decided to head back to the medical facility. By chance, he bumped into the sergeant as he was leaving Ellie and Alice's room.

"Sir." Johnny saluted.

The sergeant saluted back.

"I heard you were looking for me, lieutenant-corporal." He replied.

"Yes, sir. I was just wondering what happens next? When do we actually become SPARTANS?" he asked.

The staff sergeant smiled.

"Look at this armour, corporal. It weighs over 1,000 kilos. The human body, no matter how strong, isn't designed to carry this kind of weight. But to a SPARTAN, it's second nature. In order for you, and your squad to be strong enough to don this armour, you need one final augmentation. This is the big one, the one that kills 50% of the applicants." The sergeant added.

Johnny reeled at the information he just received.

"50%?!" he yelled.

"Yeah, used to be worse though. Back in my day, it was a 20% survival rate." He continued.

"What exactly are you trying to tell me, sir?" Johnny asked, curiously.

"You're Squad 7's leader, and as leader, you have to make the choice."

"What choice?"

The staff sergeant put his hand on Johnny's shoulder.

"Whether or not you want the augmentation. Either you all get it, or none of you get it. Are you ready to be a true leader?" He sighed.

Johnny looked confusedly at the SPARTAN.

"But without the augmentation, I can't become a SPARTAN!" Johnny yelled.

The sergeant walked away.

"Looks like you've got a difficult decision to make." He said, leaving the building.

Johnny walked into his squad's room. Ellie and Alice were already awake. He sat down on Alice's bed.

"How are my ladies doing?" Johnny asked.

Both girls smiled. Alice pounced onto Johnny with a hug while Ellie giggled.

"Johnny! You amazing bastard! You did it! You actually did it! You are the best ever!" Alice yelled, jumping up and down on the bed.

Johnny and Ellie laughed.

"We actually get to be SPARTANS now!" she added.

Johnny stopped laughing. Alice noticed this and stopped jumping on the bed.

"You okay, Johnny?" Ellie asked.

Johnny stood up and ran his hands through his hair.

"We're not going through with it. I'm sorry, guys." Johnny sighed.

The girls looked in shock at this statement.

"What are you talking about?" asked Alice, worriedly.

Ellie sat up in the bed and leaned forward to hear Johnny better.

"The final augmentation. There's only a 50% chance of survival. And I'm not willing to put your lives up to chance." he said, just louder than a whisper.

Johnny turned away from the girls. He felt his throat tighten up and the corner of his mouth twitch.

"Johnny. You want this more than anyone." Alice said softly.

Johnny swallowed hard and turned to face them.

"It's not about me. As leader... As your friend, I won't risk your lives." He replied.

Like lightning, Alice sprung out of bed and grabbed Johnny by the collar with both hands.

"Don't be an idiot, Johnny! Ellie and I know what we're getting into. This is what we trained for. This is what all the sacrifice was for. Now get over your pansy-ass crap and stop trying so hard to look out for us!" she cried.

Johnny looked over at Ellie. She smiled and nodded at him.

"Let's do it." she said.


End file.
